Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) at a commissioning in ABUAD Industrial Research Park on Thursday, stated that the Ekiti airport project failed due to the bad management of former governor of the state and Minister of Mines and Steel Development.
According to his statement Babalola inferred that Kayode Fayemi had reacted to the project negligently saying the state did not really need that airport and thus momentum was lost.
However, now Bablaola has urged that there is still need for the facility, as the state does not have a working railway system.
He talked about how difficult it has been for him in getting the airport made:
“We acquired land and moved to site after meeting with all the stakeholders. In fact, we had cleared over 30 hectares of land.
“Surprisingly, some people went to instigate some landowners and they went to court to stop the project. The matter is currently at the Appeal Court.
“It is the Federal Government that has the power to build and operate airports in the country. I am appealing to great sons and daughters of Ekiti like Baba Afe Babalola to intervene and call all sides together and resolve the issue.”
“We are greatly disadvantaged. The railway line they are proposing was not planned to pass through the state and it was not until we cried out that they said they had connected the state.”
Oba Enitan Adeyeye the Oni of Ife who was also in attendance commended Bablola for his initiatives.